Burma ‘considered $1bn United bid’

THE head of the military regime running Burma considered bidding $1bn for Manchester United, according to information published by Wikileaks.

The revelation, contained in a leaked US diplomatic cable, and published by The Guardian, said Than Shwe, seriously considered making a takeover offer, before having second thoughts.

It is unlikely, even if the bid of around £635m, had been tabled that the Glazer family would have accepted.

According to the Guardian,  Than Shwe, who is commander in chief of Burma’s armed forces and a fan of United, was urged to mount a takeover bid by his grandson.

Than Shwe reportedly concluded that making a bid for United might “look bad” at the time – Burma had been devastated by cyclone Nargis just months before, which killed 140,000 people. Instead of pursuing United, a domestic national football league was created.

Dated June 2009, the leaked dispatch says: “One well-connected source reports that the grandson wanted Than Shwe to offer $1bn for Manchester United. “The senior general thought that sort of expenditure could look bad, so he opted to create for Burma a league of its own.”